Don’t vote for Pappu Yadav’s candidates, says Lalu Prasad

Patna, April 10 (IANS) Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Friday told people in Bihar not to support candidates propped up by murder convict and MP Pappu Yadav, saying he had been expelled from the party. “I have expelled Pappu Yadav from the RJD. He is no more with the party, do not support him any longer,” Lalu Prasad told people at an election rally in Purnia, about 350 km from here. In the last election, Pappu Yadav had won on an RJD ticket.

This time Pappu Yadav’s mother Shanti Devi is contesting as an independent from Purnia where the RJD’s alliance partner in Bihar, the Lok Janshakti Party of Ram Vilas Paswan, has put up a candidate, Shankar Jha.

Addressing a joint rally along with Paswan and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad urged people not to vote “for the candidate supported by Pappu Yadav in Purnia constituency”.

Last week the Patna High Court rejected Pappu Yadav’s plea to suspend his conviction in a murder case so that he could contest the Lok Sabha election. After he was barred from contesting, he revolted against the Lalu-Paswan alliance in Bihar and said he would campaign for the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls.

His wife Ranjita Ranjan, an LJP MP, has also defected and joined the Congress to contest from Supaul constituency.

Pappu Yadav said he was angry with Lalu Prasad’s ‘highhandedness’ in distributing tickets for the polls. He said he was ignored while the party chose candidates.